London's Hackney Council systems still paralysed after hack attack

Visitors to the council's website are greeted with this message

London's Hackney Council is working to support residents after a "serious cyber-attack" continues to leave many of its systems paralysed.

Some services remain "unavailable" and people should only contact the council "if absolutely necessary", it tweeted.

Systems which allow residents to pay rent and council tax, as well as accessing housing benefit payments, are still down a week after the hack.

The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is investigating the attack.

It has not yet been confirmed how many residents have been affected or how long the disruption will continue, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

No penalties will be incurred by residents or businesses unable to make or claim payments as a result of the disruption, a council spokesman said.

Noise complaints currently cannot be reported, and the council's licensing and planning systems have also been affected

Other services that remain affected include discretionary payments designed to help people with housing costs and applications to join the housing waiting list.

Noise complaints currently cannot be reported, and the council's licensing and planning systems have also been affected.

A spokesperson for the NCSC said: "We are aware of an incident affecting Hackney Borough Council. The NCSC is supporting the organisation and working with partners to understand the impact of this incident."